Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1)

by Melissa Zaroski

  “There are several ways to weaken a vampire, though. The vampires who get into trouble with a king or queen gets confined and is subject to starvation, which weakens them. However, none have the easy weapon to kill the troublemaker. Then, of course there are other ways to kill us, put that involves a fight.”

  “So, a wood stake through the heart is just a bunch of malarkey?”

  “Tell me, Todd, how would a human sneak up on a vampire to try and stake them through the heart? We can hear you coming, we are faster than you, and we have the strength of a thousand men. Hell, how did you think Emma was able to avoid you for this long? She’d hear you or smell you and disappear.”

  Todd looked at him with a subtle shock in his eyes. He didn’t realize that Emma had been purposely avoiding him.

  “There were several occasions where she would be in the parlor and would be gone by the time you walked in the room. She could smell you coming and hear your footsteps.”

  Todd chugged the last of his wine, feeling both hurt by what she did and fascinated with her abilities. Zachariah stood up and stuck out his hand, offering his reconciliation, to which Todd responded with a firm shake and a quick nod.

  As Zachariah walked towards the door, he said, “I’m waving my white flag. I’ve said what has needed to be said since day one.” He glanced back at Todd, “Just be careful, man. She’s an amazing girl; a one-of-a-kind. But, don’t get in over your head.”

  Daniel sat on his bed and flipped through a photo album filled with memories of past Christmases. They began with a little baby boy dressed in a tiny Santa outfit being held by his parents. He sadly smiled at the joyful images of them watching their only son open presents. Their extended family had diminished over the years and Daniel was now the last living Davenport as far as he knew. Their family that resided in the Manor was small compared to his ancestors who had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins living here as well. Growing up, it was just him, his parents, Zachariah, and Emma, who also graced the pages of the photo album. They looked exactly the same throughout the years; they had the same youthful, porcelain skin as those around them continued to change. His parents’ faces gradually gained fine wrinkles while he grew into a teenager. But, Emma and Zachariah were both frozen as twenty-five-year olds.

  He knew what she was from a young age and never in his life did he fear her. She was as normal to him as having blue eyes. She was just known as his “sister” throughout his life, even though she was his sixth-great aunt. He thought about the things she did with him when he was just a child. She would make him squeal with giggles when she would pick up an entire couch with one arm. He would watch her flit to the top of the tallest tree and then perform several flips on the way down, always landing on her feet. Every time she would remind him to never try that himself. He liked when she would tell him bedtime stories—tales of their ancestors, silly stories, and as he got a bit older, the scary stories. He chuckled to himself when he remembered how she would always end the scary stories she made up: “And then…I ate them. The end.” She became his confidant; she had seen it all and done it all, so there was nothing that would shock her.

  When his parents were killed, Daniel remembered Emma did all she could to comfort him. She cried with him, consoled him, and reassured him that everything would be alright. As a fifteen-year old boy, he was afraid of what would happen to him since he had no immediate family left, but Emma made sure that his life remained as normal as possible and was awarded guardianship of him. She had no qualms with having to use her charming abilities if the judge didn’t rule in her favor, but luckily she didn’t have to.

  Not only did he have Emma by his side while growing up, he also had Zachariah, who was like a big brother to him. As Daniel surpassed his teenage years, he became closer than ever to him. While Zachariah wasn’t a blood relative, they had a bond that paralleled ancestry.

  He didn’t know what he would have done without Emma and Zachariah in his life. They kept him stable during his darkest times; they mourned with him, but didn’t allow him to spiral down into depression. They picked him up when he was down and would gently urge him to move forward. They did their best as acting parents and guided him when he needed it the most. The amount of normalcy he had after his parents died was owed to them.

  He reached the end of the photo album where the pictures abruptly stopped several pages before it was filled. Six years-worth of pictures that were never taken, only because it was too painful. Christmas just wasn’t the same even though Emma tried her hardest to make it as festive as possible. She helped his mother’s legacy live on by continuing her traditions; using her recipes to make cookies on Christmas Eve, even though she had no idea if they tasted good or not. She allowed Daniel to be the judge of that. A Christmas Story played on repeat in the parlor while she listened to Dean Martin and Bing Crosby Christmas music in the kitchen. It was then that Daniel was reminded that this may be the first Christmas that he spent without Emma and it turned his stomach into a knot.

  “Hey Zach, can you come here?” He said with a normal volume, knowing he could hear him.

  Within seconds, his bedroom door opened and Zachariah poked his head in. “What’s up, Dan?”

  “This is so weird with Emma being gone. Do you think that Aidan guy is going to let us go there?”

  Zachariah shrugged, “I dunno. He’s different than Emma. He’s still baffled at the fact that she has remained with humans all this time.”

  “Why did she want to go so bad?” Daniel never could comprehend the pull that a vampire had toward their maker no matter how many times they had tried to explain it. Zachariah didn’t bother trying again.

  “She just wanted to get away from the whole situation with Todd. She was tired of constantly running from him in her own house. Although it sounded like they kind of made up right before she left.”

  They continued to chat well into the night and ventured off the subject of Emma. They ended up flipping on Daniel’s TV to play Mario Kart on his Wii. Although Zachariah almost always won due to his quick reflexes, Daniel gave him a run for his money and would occasionally beat him. Other guests could hear them throughout the halls, yelling at each other and talking smack while racing. Their laughter and colorful language spilled out of the room like a tidal wave.

  Chapter 12

  Once again, Emma found herself in Glasgow and the internal satisfaction from being with her maker was calming to her. She unpacked her suitcases and got settled in her room while Aidan prepared a snack for her in his living room. She went out to join him and saw a man and a woman, both roughly in their early twenties, sitting on the couch. The both smiled at her looked pleased that she was there. She could tell by their beating hearts and scents that they were human. They both looked troubled, as if they had lived rough lives.

  “Emma, this is Chris and Nicole, they are my current live-in donors. Please, have a drink…” Aidan said in his gravelly voice saturated with a thick Scottish accent, while motioning to the smiling humans.

  Emma hadn’t drunk straight from the vein since she was in Glasgow the last time. It was never really necessary since she befriended Patricia Miller, the vampire who owned the local funeral home and her source of bought blood. With as much humanity that was left in her, Emma still couldn’t argue that blood was best right from the human body. When she was with Aidan, she felt darker; instead of longing to be human, she embraced being a vampire and dangerous predator.

  She walked over to Chris who continued to look up at her brightly as she neared him. Aidan had certainly charmed a number on these two, they looked completely dazed and oblivious to what was going on around them. She slinked down onto the couch so she was situated next to him, politely greeted him, and guided his head to tilt to the side. She pushed her fangs out and bit into his jugular, gulping down the blood that his heart was pushing into her mouth. Aidan sat down next to Nicole and in the same movement he pushed her head to the side to begin feeding from her. Neither human made a so
und as Aidan and Emma fed on them, their eyes remained glazed over and empty.

  Emma had nearly forgotten how good blood was coming directly from the vein. The only way she could compare it to humans who didn’t understand was that it was like having a filet mignon as opposed to a fast food hamburger. Both will fill you up and satisfy you, but the filet mignon tastes so much more succulent.

  Before they could take too much blood from their donors, they pulled away and pierced their fingertips with one of their fangs. They rubbed a drop of their own blood on the human’s puncture wounds to heal them quickly. Once Chris’ wound healed, Emma lightly licked the little bit of remaining blood off of his neck. Aidan had taught her to never be a sloppy drinker; to savor each drop and not let it spill all over the place. He explained that blood was the life source for both humans and vampires, to carelessly allow it to overflow was wasteful for both lives. The way he explained it to her when she was a new vampire made sense: rarely did you see a human dive face first into their dinner plates, allowing their food to smear on their face. It was uncivilized and lacked manners. The same rules of etiquette applied to vampires. He hated how Hollywood films depicted vampires with blood running down their chins.

  “Thank you, Chris and Nicole, that will be all for now,” Aidan said, clearly giving them a cue to leave the room.

  Emma slouched back on the couch with a satisfied smile and her eyes closed, relishing in the afterglow of her superb meal.

  One side of Aidan’s mouth curled up in a sly smile, “You haven’t done that in a while, have you?”

  “Mmmm, nope. I forgot how good it is,” Emma replied, keeping her eyes closed.

  “How can you enjoy drinking out of a glass a majority of the time? Why not feed from a human and just charm them to forget?” He asked, clearly perplexed once again by her lifestyle choices.

  “I don’t like having to charm people, you know that,” she responded as she opened her eyes to look at him. “I don’t feel like it’s fair for me to wipe out someone’s memory.”

  “But, that’s why we have that ability, my dear. It is so we can feed without having to kill them to keep our secret. It’s a natural mechanism for us, don’t be ashamed of it. Not to mention it is for your own safety.”

  Once again, Aidan’s teachings made her question her own decisions. Sometimes she wished he would have fought a little harder to convince her not to stay with her family and live among humans. It certainly would have spared her the pain of losing them with each passing generation, especially the ones she grew attached to. Daniel instantly popped into her mind.

  “Aidan, I was wondering…if Zachariah and Daniel could come here and join us for the holidays? I have never been apart from them this time of year,” she asked, unsure of how he would respond.

  He looked at her quizzically, “Zachariah, your creation?”

  “Yes, he’s the one I turned in 1839. My only offspring.”

  “And Daniel…your human nephew?”

  She nodded while looking at him with innocent, pleading eyes.

  A moment passed while he thought it over, “Zachariah…of course. He is family to us. But, Daniel…why the human?”

  “I’m the only family he has, Aidan. He has no cousins, aunts, uncles, or grandparents. His parents are gone—you know that. I have been like a sister to him since he was born; Zachariah and I are all he has now since his parents were killed. I love him, Aidan. We have a bond like no other.”

  He put his hand to his face and rubbed his cheeks down to his chin, while mulling over her words. “A bond like no other, huh?” He hesitated a bit longer; Emma felt like a little girl asking her father for permission to do something he didn’t approve of. “Emma, I haven’t had a human in my house that wasn’t a food source in…well, never. You came here to get away from that human, Todd, right?”

  “Right, but I didn’t realize he was headed back to London for the holidays. I almost canceled my trip to come here, however you know how strong the pull is for me to you. Once I made up my mind to come, I couldn’t wait to see you. But, Zachariah and Daniel were disappointed that I would be gone for the holidays.”

  “How about this,” he started with a spark. “Why don’t I come to Chicago? I haven’t visited your home in a few years. I would like to see your great nephew that you have a bond with…just not here. I’m not accustomed to having humans here as guests.”

  Emma smiled brightly, knowing how happy the boys would be to hear the news that she would be there for the holidays. She herself was elated that not only would she be with Daniel and Zachariah, but Aidan as well. She jumped onto Aidan’s lap, straddling him while giving him a hard kiss on the cheek. “I’d love for you to come for a visit! Thank you!”

  He placed his hands on her waist and with dark eyes he responded, “You’re welcome, darlin’. Would you mind if Mackenzie joined us? It has been ages since she has visited your Manor.”

  “Of course Mackenzie can come, it would be lovely to have her there, too,” Emma replied. She had always like Mackenzie and enjoyed spending time with her whenever she came to visit Aidan in Scotland. She loved her quick wit and camaraderie when she was with her. “Just a friendly F.Y.I. though...Daniel isn’t food,” she said.

  With a quick laugh that was just air being exhaled from his nose, he replied, “I know. He won’t be touched.” He sounded slightly perturbed. “I still don’t understand why you would want to remain with humans.”

  “You know, there is a part of me that wishes that you would have fought me a little harder about that when I first turned. I have lost count of how many times I have had to say goodbye to those I love.”

  “I tried to tell you, darlin’. But, you were bound and determined to stay with your family. I actually admired your demanding personality and it was then that I knew that you were going to be amazing. I don’t think you would have been able to change your mind no matter how much I fought you.”

  “You’re probably right,” she said as she mindlessly played with his hair.

  “I’m very proud of you, Emma. You’ve exceeded all of my expectations of you and you’re doing a great job.”

  He had told her this time and again, but it made her heart swell every time she heard it. She wanted nothing more than to please her maker and to be reassured that the decisions she made were right. He may not always agree with her, but he had always supported and guided her the best that he could.

  With his hands still on her hips, he pulled her up against his body. She moved her hands down to his broad shoulders and ran them down the length of his upper arms. His muscles flexed under her touch; he was the epitome of a man’s man. He had been a Scottish warrior during his human years and his large, strong body was built to fight. Even without the knowledge of him being an ancient vampire, one would be hesitant to pick a brawl with him.

  She leaned in and aggressively kissed him, feeling his stubble lightly scratch her face. He wrapped his large arms around her, engulfing her petite frame, and stood up from the couch they were on. She wrapped her legs around him as he began to walk, effortlessly carrying her. She thought they were headed for the bedroom, but he took a turn in the other direction, navigating his way through the vast house. She continued to kiss and lightly bite his neck as he walked, now with a faster pace to get to his destination.

  He opened the back door that lead to his sprawling backyard, which was a view as far as the eye could see of the Scottish Highlands. In the warmer months, the mountains and rolling hills were painted a vivid green smeared with the light purple fields of heather. This time of year, snow-capped mountains framed the fields of dead grass. The frozen grass crunched under his bare feet as he continued through a small field that lead down to a stream where a large, mature tree stood on the bank. He pushed her up against the trunk and she grabbed hold of a low branch with one hand, while wrapping her other arm around his neck.

  He began to kiss her again while rhythmically pushing his weight onto her, as if he couldn’t get close
enough. He pulled her legs off of him to make her stand on her own as he unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them down, completely removing them along with her panties. Being completely exposed in the winter air didn’t affect her like it would a human.

  He hitched her legs back up around his waist and panted, “Don’t get comfortable here, love. We’re not staying on the ground…” She hung on to his neck as he easily climbed higher up the tree, stopping about halfway to the top. Four branches protruded out; two right angles parallel to each other. He placed his feet on the lower two branches and lifted her off of him, wrapping each leg over the upper two branches. She was now completely sprawled and exposed and he was standing at the ideal height directly in front of her.

  He stood balancing on the branches as he unzipped his pants, freeing his penis that had been straining against his jeans. He used the tip to tease her clitoris, making her moan while she ran her hands along his broad chest. She ran her hands down the front and around to his lower back, trying to pull him into her. He slightly obliged by pushing just the head in, lingering there, and pulling back out. He ferociously kissed her, shoving his tongue into her mouth while she eagerly responded.

  He pushed himself into her once again, a little deeper this time, and pulled back out. He continued to taunt her, driving her insane with lust. She grabbed both sides of his face, menacingly looking him in the eyes, and hissed, “Now!”

  He returned her sinister glare and his fangs descended, striking her neck as he plunged himself completely into her as she cried out in pleasure. A fierce growl escaped his chest with each powerful thrust as he held on to some upper branches to stabilize himself. Emma threw her head back as her fangs grew, savoring the sensation of him completely filling her inside. She felt his girth blissfully stretching her and reaching deep into her vagina, pounding on her G-spot.